Vivo Z1i VS Vivo Z1: why the new Vivo Z1i is not an upgrade

Vivo Z1i VS Vivo Z1: why the new Vivo Z1i is not an upgrade. Vivo has just added another mid-range smartphone to their portfolio. The Chinese phone maker released the Vivo Z1i a few days ago, which Vivo says is an upgrade to the Vivo Z1. Personally, I won’t really refer the Vivo Z1i as an upgrade to the Vivo Z1 as most people are reporting. Continue reading the article to find out why.

Vivo being an official smartphone sponsor of the 2018 World Cup released a lot of phones, including the Vivo Z1 for the tournament. So what really did Vivo upgrade in the Vivo Z1 to give us the new Vivo Z1i? Stay with me while Let’s compare the specs and features of the Vivo Z1i with the Vivo Z1.

Vivo Z1i VS Vivo Z1 – The Design

Vivo Z1iVivo Z1

Most of these smartphones with similar specs always features the same design. The design of the Vivo Z1i is no different from the design of the Vivo Z1. They both feature a front glass with top-notch and little bottom chin. The back is made of plastic unlike other of its competitors that feature an aluminum back. In terms of dimensions and weight, the two Vivo smartphones size up in 154.8 x 75.1 x 7.9 mm with a weight of 149.3 grams.

Their back also sports the same features. At the center is a fingerprint sensor, underneath it, is the Vivo brand name. Moving up to the top left corner is the dual rear camera aligned in a vertical direction. Below the dual rear camera is the LED flash. The Vivo Z1i is available in only Black and Red body colors. Whereas, the Vivo Z1 has the Black and Red body colors with a Blue body color.

Vivo Z1i VS Vivo Z1 – The Display

The bezel-less display is what you get on both Vivo smartphones. They feature a top-notch and at the bottom is a tiny chin. Their display specs are practically the same thing. The display type is a 6.26 inch IPS LCD panel with an 84.1% screen-to-body ratio. The resolution is a 1080 x 2280 pixels, 19:9 aspect ratio and 403 pixels per inch density. There’s no indication of the presence of Corning gorilla glass on any of the smartphone.

Vivo Z1i VS Vivo Z1 – The Camera

One amazing thing about most Vivo mid-range smartphones is their camera specs and features. Both smartphones feature a 13MP + 2MP dual rear camera with LED flash. The first difference between both Vivo smartphones is the selfie camera. The Vivo Z1i selfie camera features a 16MP sensor. Whereas, the selfie camera of the Vivo Z1 features a 24MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture. How is the Vivo Z1i the upgrade here? It’s more or less like a downgrade or stripped model of the Vivo Z1.

Vivo Z1i VS Vivo Z1 – Hardware and Software

The Vivo Z1 is powered by one of the most powerful mid-range chipsets in the market. Underneath the Vivo Z1 is Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset with an Adreno 512 graphics processing unit. While the Vivo Z1i is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset with an Adreno 509 graphics processing unit. The Snapdragon 636 chipset is a downgrade to the Snapdragon 660 chipset. This is the second time the Vivo Z1i is coming up short in specs.

Running on both Vivo smartphones is Funtouch OS 4.0 skin, which is overlaid on Android 8.1 Oreo. The Vivo Z1 comes in a 4GB memory with 64GB internal storage. Meanwhile, the Vivo Z1i comes with a 4GB memory and 128GB internal storage. Can we say the Vivo Z1i is an upgrade to the Vivo Z1 because of its internal storage? I don’t honestly think so. Both phones’ internal storage can be expanded up to 256GB in the hybrid SIM slot.

Vivo Z1i VS Vivo Z1 – The Battery

The battery of the Vivo Z1 is also featured on the Vivo Z1i. They are both powered by a non-removable Li-lon 3260 mAh battery. There’s no indication of fast battery charging support. But since the chipset supports it, it’s “possible” an external charger can help with that.

Vivo Z1i VS Vivo Z1 – The Price

The Vivo Z1 is presently sold for around $265 (N92,750). Whereas, the new Vivo Z1i is sold for around $285 (N99,750). Obviously, the value here is the Vivo Z1, which features better selfie camera and hardware. While the Vivo Z1i brags only with its internal storage.